Duty Bound
by Blind Contour
Summary: Luffy, now blind, becomes the temporary master of the mansion at Cher until he recovers. In his reign and stay at Cher, the staff he hires becomes the greatest companions for him. Of Masters, butlers, maids and more.
1. Chapter 1

**Bound to Duty.**  
Luffy, now blind, becomes the temporary master of the mansion at Cher until he recovers. In his reign and stay at Cher, the staff he hires becomes the greatest companions for him.

* * *

**Bound to Duty**

**1**

* * *

"Monkey D. Luffy. I have an offer for you, and that is for you to stay at Cher."

"I am going to the New World; do not stop me."

"But how? Will you ever? Face it Luffy, you've become _blind."_

The black-haired boy stood silent, unlike his usual cheery disposition. Sighing once, he grabbed for a plate of pork ribs. His lack of vision earned him a plate of vegetables instead. With obvious irritation, Luffy resolved, "Fine."

"So you'll go to Cher?"

"It will be temporary."

"Of course, Luffy, of course. Though you are the only heir to Cher and the mansion there…"

"_Temporary_, Osmond, I do not care to be an heir."

"I… shall now be referring to you as Master Luffy." The white-haired old man bowed deeply, and made his way out.

…

"Osmond, thanks for taking care of my brother." A tall smiling man stood in the hallway, acknowledging his butler and for the work he had just accomplished.

"Master Ace, that is only my job." Osmond bowed deeply once again.

"I suspect that Luffy will be bored to death at Cher. Until he recovers, hire the staff for the Cher Mansion, Osmond."

"Of course."

"Hm… they better be… _interesting_, I do want Luffy to be kept busy. It must be so hard to be blind."

"Yes, Master."

…

"Crud, he's only worth a thousand beri." A swordman sheathed his sword and held the body of an injured man by one of his broad shoulders.

Just as he was making his way to turn the man in, an old man ran into him, and all sorts of papers fell out.

"I'm sorry, Mister! But there's a –"

"Stop right there! I know you've got money, old man!" A distant voice shouted angrily at the old man.

"A thief? Or a bandit?" The swordsman answered for him.

"Yes, it appears to be so."

With a sigh, the green-haired swordsman dumped the body onto the old man and unsheathed his sword, once again, to deal with the evils of the world.

To his surprise, the bandit turned out to be a lady, though not exactly a "lady." She was in fact very tattered and bruised and looked nothing like a proper lady. The swordsman wondered if he should sheath his sword, when she nimbly stepped to his side and plucked out all the money he had. Two hundred beri.

"I thought you were a bounty hunter, Mr. Swordsman." The girl waved the couple of beri in the air with an utterly disappointed look. "But this is all you got?"

In one swift motion, the "Mr. Swordsman" stood just behind the girl, with his sword focused, but not touching, her neck. Colour drained from her face as she dropped the money and chuckled tentatively. "What are you getting so dangerous for, Mr. Swordsman?"

"The name's Zoro and I do not care if you're a man or a woman if you're taking my money."

"Well, then, I suppose we share a common interest!"

"Ehem, excuse me…" The two turned toward the old man, who really looked helpless with the unconscious man by his side.

But Osmond had seen how capable Zoro was, and how also, for a woman, nimble the girl was. With a cough, he made the offer.

"Would you both like to earn some money?"

"What?"

"It will only be temporary, but you see, there's an empty mansion that is in dire need of staff and –"

"No!" The girl flatly refused instantly. "I steal; I do not work my ass off for some petty wage."

"Ahem! I assure you both, that the pay will indeed be great, for it will be Cher Mansion you will be employed for."

"Cher… Mansion…" The girl stood appalled for one moment, and the next, she put on a smile and stretched out her hand for a shake. "My name is Nami."

Of course, Nami had an idea as to just how grand, and thus full of money, Cher Mansion was.

"Then if you will please follow me…"

Without any answer, Zoro was pulled along, for Nami saw him as a necessity and she had a secret selfish desire to have him as her guard… in case anything got dangerous.

…

"We'll need, at the very least, a butler, a cook, a chauffeur, a footman, and a maid."

"Just hire the cooks. I don't need the rest."

"Master Luffy –"

"Fine! Then hire someone I can play with."

"Yes, well I've brought two for now, Master Luffy."

"Oh," The dark-haired master only just realized that there were two other people in the room. Whoever they were, they were skillful enough to mask their presence. A surge of excitement formed to his lips as a smile.

"UH, I don't need to be here, I was just –"

An elbow stab silenced Zoro as the orange-haired girl spoke up instead. "Hi, uh, Master Luffy? I'm Nami and this swordsman here is Zoro, and I know he's got a weird hair colour –"

Luffy turned around, but his blind eyes did not let him see.

"OH." She gasped upon seeing her soon-to-be master blind, and she continued, rather rushed, "Zoro's hair is green by the way. Like seaweed. Or a plain of grass. Or hm,"

"That's enough, orange-head!"

In the midst of their fight, Luffy burst out laughing.

"I like you guys. You're hired, the both of you."

"Yes, Master Luffy. What should their positions be?"

"Cooks, of course!"

* * *

**tbc.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bound to Duty.**  
Luffy, now blind, becomes the temporary master of the mansion at Cher until he recovers. In his reign and stay at Cher, the staff he hires becomes the greatest companions for him.

* * *

**Bound to Duty**

**2**

* * *

"Osmond, was it?" The newly hired girl called out cheekily. "I want a bath."

"That is_ Butler_ Osmond for you, Nami-san." The old man was obviously irritated.

"But you're not Luffy's butler, are you?"

For a second, he remained silent, until he retorted with, "_Master _Luffy, Nami-san."

"Whatever you say, Osmond," A playful smirk teased the poor butler. "Now about that bath..."

...

"Zoro-san, I suggest you take a bath," Osmond, once returning from leading Nami into a servant's bathroom, told the swordsman. The green-haired servant smelled strongly of dirt, sweat, blood, and well... adventure.

"Sure. I'd like to eat something before though..."

Osmond sighed as he made his way to the kitchen, determined that this would be the first and only time he'd cook for these occupants.

...

A barefoot tiptoed out to a long, red-carpeted hallway. The dimly lit candles caught a sight of orange, before it swiftly disappeared into the Master's bedroom. She had memorized the general plan of the mansion, and though she had declared she would bathe, she hadn't yet undressed.

"Who's that?" Luffy was on the bed, seeming to sleep, but woken up alertly upon hearing the almost silent creak of a door.

"My, you have a great hearing, Master." Nami teased politely, and then tiptoed her way to his bed, while her right hand slid smoothly toward her thigh. There, she took out a dagger.

"You must be orange-head!"

"Nami, you mean."

"You have food for me? Or are you here to tell me my eyes have recovered?" He stood up from his bed and paced around excitedly.

"I'm not a doctor, and you would be seeing if your eyes had recovered, idiot."

"What?"

"Nothing, Master Luffy." She put on a fake smile, and then realized he could not even see her, anyway.

As the master of Cher Mansion paced about, he almost struck himself to the bed post. Instinctively, Nami struck out her hand to stop the accident.

"Careful, Master."

"Oh, thanks, orange-head!"

She was tempted to remind him that her name was not orange-head, but then she shrugged and discarded her irritation.

"Master Luffy, if you're smart, you'd tell me all the treasures you have here." Nami stood close to him, and the tip of her dagger poised dangerously to his neck. Feeling the metal against his skin, Luffy laughed out loud.

"What's wrong?" She stood still, though utterly perplexed.

"I'm not smart, but so aren't you, orange-head."

"Wha -?"

In one swift motion, Luffy stood behind her, with his hand over hers that was holding the dagger. The weapon was now pointed to her neck.

"I may be blind but –"

He slid the dagger away from her grip, and playfully tossed the dagger, up and down, with his hand.

"I am strong."

Gulping thickly, Nami retaliated quickly. "Just tell me where the treasure is, and I won't hurt you." After all, she thought, she must be in a better advantage than a blind man.

"My treasure is here."

"Huh?"

With his free hand that was not holding the dagger, he tapped on his straw hat.

Nami stood stunned, obviously annoyed at how untrue that was, for a straw hat must cost, maybe, about twenty beri at best.

But then she thought better and a devilish smile curled to her lips. Perhaps there was a secret behind it.

"Alright, well, I may have been wrong, Master Luffy." She worded carefully as she thought about the next action she should take. "You are smarter than I had given you credit for, and sneaky with your words, too."

No sooner had those words left her mouth that the dagger Luffy had been playing with swooped dangerously onto the ceiling. It remained there, stuck.

"Luffy!" Nami cried out in frustration. How will she get that dagger down? If it remained there, and Osmond noticed, she might be fired, and that meant no snooping around the mansion for hidden treasure.

"Don't worry." Luffy grinned, a very toothy and childish smile, as he pulled back his right hand.

In the blink of an eye, his arm stretched to the ceiling and searched blindly for the dagger.

"Found it!" His hand grazed it, and as he moved to seize it, the dagger swayed dangerously. And then, it fell.

Nami watched bewildered as his stretched arm pulled fast, back to its original size on his body. In the next split second, Luffy moved blindly to avoid the falling dagger, which, unfortunately, struck at him right on his head.

"KYAAA!" Nami let out a fearful scream, having just witnessed an unfortunate accident, which may be blamed to her.

With tears falling down, she ran to her Master and plucked the dagger out of his head. Blood squirted out, and in horror to see so much of the red liquid, she stabbed the dagger back into his head again.

Her face was deathly pale, and the wheels in her mind turned fast. She would have to escape. Silently, and tremulously, she tiptoed out of the room.

…

"Ah, that was a nice bath!" Zoro stepped out of the tub and draped a towel over himself. "If only there's some booze…"

He smiled and decided his next destination would be the kitchen. Satisfied with such a clever decision, the swordsman stepped out into the hallway. He would need some clothes too, unless he wanted to wear the unwashed, dirty clothes again.

A few minutes later, Zoro decided he had finally arrived to the kitchen. He was wrong; when he pushed open the door, he came upon the master's bedroom…

… and found Nami attempting to bandage Luffy's bleeding head.

The green-haired man blinked, once, twice, and decided he should leave. There was no way he was going to get caught up in such a bewildering situation. As he backed away to the door, he bumped instead to a small figure. It was Osmond.

In the midst of the confusion, Nami thought quickly and pointed her finger at Zoro.

"It was him! He killed Master Luffy!"

At her sudden scream, Luffy jerked up, and following Nami, he shouted, "YEAH! IT'S HIM!" Then, he plopped back to the floor, unconscious.

Nami turned to her Master. He was alive. Why hadn't she thought to check his pulse? When the room went still, they heard a soft snoring. In a bubbling fury, the orange-haired girl whacked her sleeping master by his head.

Finally, after a deathly moment, the room stirred again and Osmond checked Luffy over to heal his injury.

* * *

**tbc.**


	3. Extra

**Bound to Duty.**  
Luffy, now blind, becomes the temporary master of the mansion at Cher until he recovers. In his reign and stay at Cher, the staff he hires becomes the greatest companions for him.

**Note:  
**Bound to Duty will be on hiatus for awhile. In the meantime, here's a very short chapter that could almost serve as an ending for now.

* * *

**Bound to Duty**

**0.5**

* * *

It had been two days since the mansion had acquired the two staff, Zoro and Nami. Though they had not done anything to housekeep the mansion, Osmond was still on the lookout for more staff.

On the third day, in the still of the night, the swordsman lay awake, wondering. There was no reason for him to stay at Cher. Luffy, Nami, and Osmond were merely strangers for him, and he had a goal. So he stepped out of the servant's room and tiptoed out onto the hallway.

Zoro the bounty hunter would go back to hunting wanted men. That was a better prospect than staying in some grand mansion.

However, the green-haired swordsman, though he could never admit it, became lost. All he needed to find was the door out of the mansion, but instead, he found himself walking into the master's bedroom again.

Why did he do that? Was there some kind of magnetic force drawing him to Luffy's room?

He stepped back to get out of Luffy's room, but he never had the chance to when the master's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Zoro?"

In the pitch black darkness, the swordsman smiled. Luffy had apparently memorized the sound of his footsteps, his _presence._

"Luffy, I'm going to leave."

There was no use in calling him Master.

"I like you."

"I'm still leaving."

Pointedly, Luffy ignored the swordsman's resolve. The black-haired boy sat up and climbed out of his bed. He tried to follow where Zoro's voice came from, but he came knocking into his bed post instead.

Well, almost, for the swordsman grabbed Luffy before he could crash.

Luffy grinned. It was visible even in the night.

"I'm going to be the Pirate King, Zoro."

"Hm." Zoro grunted; he found no better reply, especially when Luffy was blind and the prospect of becoming a Pirate King, blind, seemed slim.

As if reading his mind, Luffy continued, "It doesn't matter if I'm blind. I'm going to get a doctor that would cure me."

Zoro had never heard of such doctors, but this time, he spoke up, "I'm going to be the best Swordsman."

"I knew it." Luffy's grin broadened. "I need you, Zoro."

The Pirate King and the Best Swordsman – that was a fine prospect. But Zoro insisted, "I'm still leaving."

"And so will I."


End file.
